Royal Mail accused of disrespect by mixing up D-Day beaches with Indonesia in stamp blunder

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The planned Royal Mail image, one of a set of 11 stamps being issued in 2019 to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Observers have pointed out the picture actually shows American soldiers leaving a landing craft in what was Dutch New Guinea.Credit:
Royal Mail/PA

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Royal Mail has been widely criticised for planning to release a stamp marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day using an image of US troops landing in what was Dutch New Guinea, almost 8,500 miles from the Normandy beaches.

The stamps, priced at £1.25 each, were due to be released in 2019 as part of a ‘Best of British’ collection.

Captioned ‘Allied soldiers and medics wade ashore’, the image was supposed to depict the amphibious landings on the coast of northern France on June 6, 1944. However, after being previewed on social media, many observers pointed out the geographic error.

One commentator on Twitter called it a “disrespectful sloppy blunder” while another said: “Having worked 3 years for Royal Mail, this does not surprise me at all”. Another tweet pointed out that the Royal Mail had released a series of stamps in 1994 commemorating 50 years since the landings, with correct imagery.

The image, an official US Coast Guard photo, appears on the website of The National WWII Museum, an American site containing thousands of photographs and oral histories of the war.

It first appeared in the July 1944 edition of ‘All Hands’ magazine and clearly states it shows troops carrying stretchers from a landing craft at Sarmi, Dutch New Guinea - now part of Indonesia - on May 17, 1944.

The D-Day landings occurred almost a month later - and thousands of miles away - on the coast of northern France, in what was to be the start of the final allied effort from the West against Nazi-occupied Europe.

British Commandos of 1st Special Service Brigade landing from an LCI(S) (Landing Craft Infantry (Small)) on 'Queen Red' Beach, SWORD Area, at la Breche, at approximately 8.40 am, 6 June 1944. Credit:
IWM/Getty Images

The Royal Mail says its 2019 Special Stamp programme is supposed to commemorate anniversaries and celebrate events and popular culture relevant to UK heritage and life. Images such as birds of prey and scenes depicting British engineering excellence are planned, as well as six stamps of Queen Victoria at various stages in her life, and four of her husband Prince Albert.

The D-Day landings were to be marked with a set of 11 stamps, in what the Royal Mail said “will be a timely commemoration of all those who participated and will use images from the day itself”.

Paul Woodadge, 49, a D-Day historian and former tour guide living in Normandy, told the BBC: "It's quite shocking really. It's going to be the 75th anniversary of D-Day - the last one where there's any veterans around who will remember it.

"These stamps are the kind of thing people will buy for their fathers and grandfathers."

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “We work very hard to ensure that our Special Stamp programme appropriately commemorates anniversaries and events that are relevant to UK heritage and life.

"We would like to offer our sincere apologies that our preview release for our 2019 Special Stamp programme included a stamp design which had been incorrectly associated with the D-Day landings.

"We can confirm that this image will not be part of the final set, which will be issued in June 2019."